NYPL Blogs: Posts from Jefferson Market Library

Opera for the Uninitiated

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:12:05 -0400

The Gilded Stage: A Social History of the Opera by Daniel Snowman promises to do what few nonfiction books about opera have done thus far: describe the evolution of opera from everyman's entertainment to one, believed by many, to be reserved for those of a select social sphere.

In the Literary Review by Tim Blanning, he describes some attributes of that change. "One thing that has certainly changed for the better has been behaviour in the auditorium. Until deep into the nineteenth century, the opera house was more a social centre than a temple of the arts. Its visitors chatted, flirted, smoked, drank, gambled and—behind the drawn curtains of the boxes—made love." Although the decorum has changed, opera today is much more accessible than many believe. Fanciful stage sets and costuming, viewing technologies and library resources are all ways in which opera has become a more public event.

The production values of today's operas have more in common with the fantastical vision of Julie Taymor's The Tempest than the reserved set production that many people associate with operas. Just take a look at the cast for Médée, Euripides's ancient tragedy. Krzysztof Warlikowski and Christophe Rousset's costumes are strictly contemporary, evoking Amy Winehouse's iconic look to cement the theme of being an outsider. Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur at Royal Opera House in Britain balances creative costuming with the practicalities of singing through a structured headpiece. The Minotaur was also an interesting study in that it filled seats fairly well and returned as a revival.

Technological advances have made it possible to enjoy superb opera performances from home or live in HD through movie theatres via services like Fathom Events.

Opera News, a publication of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, highlights the best of the year in the Opera News awards.

"The Big Question: Why opera really is for anyone"

The Met Opera

Scene from Verdi's Rigoletto at the Met

Donald Laub wrote a great overview of his favorite singers and his favorite moments at the Met.

MetOpera Database has every Metropolitan Opera performance since 1883!

Audubon Day is April 26th

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:25:38 -0400

Many have heard about slow food, but fewer still about slow looking. This Wall Street Journal article from 2011 coined the term, referring to LSU's Hill Memorial Library and the way in which they presented their collection of John James Audubon's four-volume Birds of America (1827-38): slowing turning the pages for a rapt audience.

Closer to home and until May 19th, the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library will continue to exhibit Audubon's Aviary, including an online exhibition. As the WSJ article mentions, seeing the original watercolor folios is the most impressive, but the digital images are lovely too. The New-York Historical Society is also releasing a book of Audobon's Aviary, which NYPL has in circulation. NYPL's Digital Gallery has digitized many of his works, as well. NYPL's Manuscripts and Archives division has his correspondence, which our catalog states, "includes 2 letters from John James Audubon, 1838 and 1841; letters mostly to him in London, from American and British scientists and subscribers to his works; also a few letters addressed to his son, Victor, and his wife"; and, National Audubon Society Records, 1883-1990s.

The Audubon Society helps us think about the plight of these birds today, in their magazine and publications. NYPL's Valerie Wingfield wrote about the plight of the brown pelican through the works of Audubon in a post in 2010 and, more recently, Miranda J. McDermott composed a list of Wildlife Special Libraries. Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library has digitized 150,000 nature sounds and made them available online, including recordings of 75 percent of the bird species on the planet today.

Here are some more nonfiction birding books to tweet about:

Red Tails in Love: A Wildlife Drama in Central Park by Marie Winn

Club George by Bob Levy (St. Martin’s Press, 2006). Levy feeds (!) his way into the heart of a red wing blackbird in Central Park and keeps a detailed diary about it and other birds and mammals in the park. There’s an entire chapter dedicated to what binoculars to get for optimum bird-watching… need I say more?

What the Robin Knows by Jon Young looks at the ways in which bird communication is important, ways that science is only now beginning to understand.

Look Up! Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate.

The Feathery Tribe: Robert Ridgway and the Modern Study of Birds by Daniel Lewis
"Daniel Lewis here explores the professionalization of ornithology through one of its key figures: Robert Ridgway, the Smithsonian Institution's first curator of birds and one of North America's most important natural scientists."

Drawing People and Places: A Resource List

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 08:22:30 -0500

This Friday, teaching artist Josh Millis will begin his 10 session drawing class for adults 55+ at Jefferson Market Library. (This class is full, but check out the Creative Aging classes being held at other branches.)

Below is a list of artists whose work Josh will be showing to the program's participants over the course of the sessions. Take a look at some of the artists that the class will be using as inspiration, and please join us on May 17th for a culminating gallery show!

Balthus
Paula Rego
Alice Neel
Barkley Hendricks
Kehinde Wiley
Diego Rivera
Frida Kahlo
Picasso
Elizabeth Peyton
Edgar Degas
John Singer Sargent
Lucian Freud
Francis Bacon
David Hockney
Philip Pearlstein
Max Beckmann
George Grosz
Francis Picabia
Neo Rauch
Michael Borremans
Yue Minjun
Egon Schiele
Edward Hopper
Kerry James Marshall
Odd Nerdrum
Jockum Nordstrom
Jonas Wood
John Currin

This Lifetime Arts Program is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Westchester Library System, AARP Foundation, American Library Association, New York State Council of the Arts, and the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation

Need Help Starting or Running a Business?

Madeleine Cohen, Science, Industry and Business Library — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:57:53 -0500

NYPL's small business website, smallbiz.nypl.org, can link you to hundreds of free and low-cost assistance programs through its Services Directory. New York City is one of the best places to start a business, and a wealth of small business services is available to entrepreneurs through local & state government, non-profit organizations, economic development corporations and neighborhood community groups. There are hundreds of programs, funded separately, not connected to each other, so it's hard to know how exactly what type of assistance is available.

NYPL's business library has linked these programs in one small biz Services Directory to make it easier for business owners to find help. We've included important agencies such as Business Solutions, of NYC.gov Small Business Services department, which provides a range of business services in five boroughs, including free business training, business counseling, loan bundling, and assistance with permits and licenses, to name just a few of the many services offered.

New York State also assists entrepreneurs at a local level through a network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). SBDCs are located in NYC and other locations, are funded through the SBA (sba.gov) and through SUNY and host institutions. SBDCs are all located at universities, staffed by professional business advisors, and they provide free services to start ups and existing businesses. Score (www.scorenyc.org), an organization of business experts, provides free mentoring and advice to business owners and start ups onsite at the SIBL business library and at their offices nationwide.

In addition to programs offered through city and state funded agencies, the Smallbiz Services Directory lists services funded through non-profits, business groups, and neighborhood associations. A few example of programs included are the Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO wibo.org), South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SOBRO.org), Business Outreach Center Network (bocnet.org), Accion (accionusa.org) and The Queens Economic Development Corporation (queensny.org/qedc). Search the Directory or browse the program listings and you'll be sure to find services that can help you grow your business.

February Reader's Den: "Telegraph Avenue" Week 4

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:50:51 -0500

This is a view of Broadway, in Oakland, California from NYPL's Digital Gallery. Although it's not Telegraph Avenue where Oakland and Berkeley intersect, I think it still contributes to envisioning the setting of the novel. How do you envision the area where Telegraph Avenue takes place? Do you think that this picture fits with that idea? That time frame?

In the novel, Gibson Goode builds a mega record store in direct competition with Brokeland Records, a portrayal that many found unrealistic. Do you think this is a plausible real estate deal that might have happened in 2004? Was it consistent with Goode's motivation?

Here are some more questions to get the discussion started, and please remember to join us in March for Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner.

February Reader's Den: "Telegraph Avenue" Week 3

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:36:24 -0500

If you're enjoying Telegraph Avenue, here are some suggestions on what to check out next:

Telegraph Avenue Pinterest page, including Candygirl Clark and Strutter movie original artwork by Greg "Stainboy" Reinel.

Read-alikes and watch-alikes:

Marvel Comics' Black Panther, read the character's backstory, including a brief romance with X-Men's Storm!
High Fidelity and How to Be Good by Nick Hornby
Jackie Brown (DVD) and Kill Bill (DVD), or any kung-fu movie
Be Kind, Rewind (DVD) Jack Black and Mos Def star in this comedy about two video store clerks who accidentally erase all of the store's video tapes and must reshoot them all, with no budget whatsoever.
Watching the Detectives (DVD) Cillian Murphy and Lucy Liu star in this madcap romantic comedy that takes place in a video store after hours.
Blaxploitation cinema, especially featuring Melvin Van Peebles, Richard Roundtree, Jim Brown, Jim Kelly, Pam Grier, and Tamara Dobson

February Reader's Den: "Telegraph Avenue" Week 2 - About the Author

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:22:16 -0500

If you'd like to know all about Michael Chabon's prolific publishing history, Contemporary Authors Online has an exhaustive biography of him in our online databases. As I already noted, comics have been a big influence on his work and I surprized to learn that he worked on the screenplay of Edgar Rice Burrough's A Princess of Mars (novelized by Stuart Moore as John Carter: The Movie Novelization).

One small quirk of his personality that I think has been insufficently explored is his preoccupation with parrots. This article gives us some insight into this through quotations of other authors who have influenced Chabon.

As Jennifer Egan (A Visit From the Goon Squad) notes, the novel includes a "a 12-page-long sentence that includes the observations of an escaped parrot." This parrot is known as Fifty-Eight and belongs to Cochise Jones, the sentence in question is the chapter "A Bird of Wide Experience," a lynchpin of the novel. Perhaps Chabon has a preoccupation with parrots, too, since his book The Final Solution also features one, and the cover for Telegraph Avenue is inscribed "© 1973 Learned Parrot Records. All Rights Reserved." This is offset, however, by the writer's energy: "joyful" and "exuberant" are some of the adjectives I've seen thrown around, as well as Jennifer Egan's "Tarantinoesque," which I found difficult to fathom at first and then felt was justified with the many references to Kill Bill and other aspects of his work.

While choosing a Pulitzer Prize winning author for the Reader's Den may seem like a no-brainer, Telegraph Avenue does seem like a first in a lot of ways and possibly a stretch for Chabon, partly due to the writing style, partly to, as Slate notes, "Can a White Author Write Black Characters?" It would seem that the answer is "yes," as Telegraph Avenue has garnered a lot of comparisons to writers like Zadie Smith, or to mystery writers like Richard Price or George Pelecanos, who are able to credibly write characters from a wide variety of racial backgrounds. Other criticisms include that the novel feels more like it was set in the 1960s or 1990s than 2004, when it's supposed to take place. Also, a scene later in the book where Gwen chats with Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention struck many as awkward. Chabon addresses some of these concerns in a Slate article, but for me, one of the takeaways was that he really wanted to write believable female characters in this novel, and I think his portrayal of Gwen and Aviva as midwives is done well.

February Reader's Den: "Telegraph Avenue" Week 1

Jenny Baum, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:42:16 -0500

Welcome back to the Reader's Den! Today we take a slight detour from our focus on New York City to the sunny climes of Northern California. Michael Chabon's Telegraph Avenue is a fictional place that the NYT book review calls, "a homage to an actual place: the boulevard in Northern California where Oakland — historically an African-American city — aligns with Berkeley, whose bourgeois white inhabitants are, as one character puts it, 'liable to invest all their hope of heaven in the taste of an egg laid in the backyard by a heritage-breed chicken.' (page 287)" Unlike The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which takes place in a New York that is a Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster-inspired metropolis.

Kavalier and Clay happens to be a favorite book of a friend of mine, and I'm sure he's not alone. Chabon is able to elevate comic book references like Galactus or Star Trek imagery to the kind of literary references usually reserved for Greek mythology, such as on page 103, where Titus "scooped up a handful of planets, tumbled them between his fingers, let them splash chiming back into the dish." Both novels are similar in their slavering devotion to childhood pastimes (similar, here too, to his children's book, Summertime), although I've read some blog reviews of Telegraph Avenue that fault it for being too overwrought with verbiage. However, I feel like the elaborate descriptions help to set the scene for characters who know the condition and grade of every vinyl record that passes through their hands and every obscure fact about every artist.

The main characters of Telegraph Avenue, Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe are: "a league of solitary men united in their pursuit of the lost glories of a vanished world" much as comic book store or video store employees (or librarians!) are united in their preservation of artifacts from the past. They are a father-son duo, a family unit that Chabon has also visited in Wonder Boys, although they are not literally father and son. Archy's father, Luther Stallings, is a fallen blaxploitation star whose absenteeism rebounds in Archy's personal life when he finds out that his girlfriend, Gwen, is pregnant. The plot involves myriad other characters and twists and turns and I'm looking forward to seeing what the Reader's Den participants think about it in the comments below.

Learn to Express Yourself Through Art: Free Courses for Midlife and Older Adults

Brigid Cahalan, Library Sites & Services/Outreach — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:32:18 -0500

Thanks to Lifetime Arts for securing funding and inviting our library system to participate, NYPL is once again able to offer free sustained art courses, taught by professional teaching artists, for adults age 55 and over. Seventeen branch libraries have received funding that enables them to host these classes, which will take place from February-November 2013, and which cover a wide variety of arts including: painting, sculpting, collage, memoir-writing/performance, drawing, and quilt-making.

Because of the great interest generated over the years, many of the libraries will be entering names of those who pre-register in a lottery to ensure an opportunity for all to partake. Participants are expected to attend all sessions. Contact the libraries directly for more information on how to register.

Columbus Library: Collage for Your Soul, begins February 2
Mid-Manhattan Library: The Art of Making Poems: Creation and Craft, begins February 12
St. George Library Center: Drawing from Life’s Journey, begins March 1
Roosevelt Island Library: Experiencing the Joy of Color, begins March 1
Jefferson Market Library: Drawing People in Places, begins March 8
Mulberry Street Library: Drawing from Observation, begins March 16
Countee Cullen Library: Creating Artist’s Books, begins April 2
Kingsbridge Library: Writing Through Memory: Memoir and Storytelling, begins April 3
Bronx Library Center: The Colors of the Water, begins April 4
Kips Bay Library: Quilt-Making with Karen Fitzgerald, begins April 4
Riverdale Library: Exploration in Portraiture, begins April 8
St. Agnes Library: Using Writing and Drama to Share Your Personal Story, begins April 8
Inwood Library: Voz de la Guitarra, begins May 3
67th Street Library: Captured by Color, begins June 3
Parkchester Library: Sculpture 101, begins June 3
Spuyten Duyvil Library: Book Making, begins September 11

These Lifetime Arts programs are supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Westchester Library System, AARP Foundation, American Library Association, New York State Council on the Arts, and the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation.

The Reader's Den: Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever"

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:02:09 -0500

Thank you for joining us for our final week of Edith Wharton short stories in The Reader's Den!

Like "The Other Two" and "Autres Temps," Wharton's 1934 story, "Roman Fever" deals with its characters' perceptions of themselves and others, and their attitudes towards the past.

Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley have been friends and rivals for years, living across East 73rd Street from each other. Brought together in Rome with their daughters, and looking out over a view of the Roman Forum, the two widows fall to reminiscing about the time they spent in Rome as young women, shortly before their marriages. Before long, the friendly talk takes a dark turn, and secrets long kept are revealed.

As their daughters leave them for the afternoon, to rendezvous with the young Italian men they have met, Mrs. Ansley says, "The new system has certainly given us a good deal of time to kill; and sometimes I get tired just looking — even at this." What does she mean by 'the new system,' and why has it left them as bystanders?

Mrs. Slade envies Mrs. Ansley, but takes a condescending attitude towards her friend, thinking of herself as the social superior, whereas Mrs. Ansley she sees as hopelessly respectable, irreproachable, and a "museum specimen" of old New York. Do you think Mrs. Slade just sees what she wants to see in Mrs. Ansley?

Mrs. Ansley, on the other hand, feels sorry for Mrs. Slade. Wharton writes that the two view each other, "each through the wrong end of her little telescope." Have their conceptions of each other blinded them to the realities of their personalities?

Why does Mrs. Slade decide, after all these years, to confess that she wrote the letter that was sent to Mrs. Ansley, supposedly from her then fiancé Delphin Slade, asking Mrs. Ansley to meet him after dark at the Coliseum?

Why hadn't Mrs. Slade even considered that Mrs. Ansley would have written back to Delphin, and that the two might have actually met that night after dark? All these years, she had believed Mrs. Ansley's rushed marriage to Horace two months later was an attempt to out-do her. Why could she not see the connection?

Mrs. Ansley confesses that she has always known that Mrs. Slade hated her. Why have the two maintained this facage of friendship, with so much ill will behind it?

Were you surprised by Mrs. Ansley's confession at the end of the story, or did you see it coming?

Please leave your comments, thoughts, and questions below! Join us in February for a discussion of Michael Chabon's Telegraph Avenue!

The Reader's Den: Edith Wharton's "Autres Temps"

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:14:09 -0500

At the start of Autres Temps, Mrs. Lidcote is arriving in New York on a steamer ship from Italy, after a long, self-imposed exile. Having fled New York's society years ago, when she became an outcast following her divorce, she is returning only after receiving news of her daughter's divorce and remarriage.

As the shapes of the city's skyline begin to emerge from the fog, Mrs. Lidcote is full of worry and unable to stop mulling over her past, which she fears will become her daughter Leila's future. When she shares these fears with an old friend, Franklin, whom she meets on the boat, he tells her that times have changed, that Leila won't face the same stigma, and what's more, he proposes to Mrs. Lidcote! She has a lot to think over, and she begins to really wonder if she does have a chance of being accepted again by those who cut her out years ago.

Why does Franklin try so hard to convince Mrs. Lidcote that she is just being paranoid, and is not a social outcast? Does he really believe times have changed so much, or is he just working towards his own goal of marrying her? Maybe he is trying to convince himself?
Franklin, Leila, and the relative sent to collect her, Susy, all have in common an attitude of gaiety when it comes to Leila's new marriage. They all try to convince Mrs. Lidcote that she is hopelessly old-fashioned and out of touch with the new way of doing things. Mrs. Lidcote starts to second guess herself, until it becomes clear that she is being excluded from Leila's dinner party. Why is everyone working so hard to convince her of something that doesn't seem to be true?
Instead of telling her mother directly that she should not attend her dinner party, Leila insists that she must be too exhausted after her journey to come. Does it seem that everyone is treating Mrs. Lidcote like a child? Why does Leila not think her mother will be able to see that she is being excluded?
Before she returns to Europe, Franklin comes to Mrs. Lidcote's hotel room to try once more to convince her that she will be accepted in society. Despite what had happened at Leila's home, Mrs. Lidcote suddenly agrees and tells Franklin she wants to go downstairs right then and there to see some old acquaintances. It is only then that Franklin balks, and the truth is made clear: he knows that she is still an outcast. Was Mrs. Lidcote really convinced, or was she trying to test Franklin?
This story was published in 1911. Does the social world of old New York hold any relevance when you read it today? Is it enjoyable as a look at a bygone era, or do you find parallels with today's society that you relate to?

Please leave any comments and questions below, and thank you for participating in the Reader's Den! Join us next week when we will discuss Wharton's 1934 story, Roman Fever.

The Reader's Den: Edith Wharton's "The Other Two"

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:16:36 -0500

As Edith Wharton's 1904 story, The Other Two, opens, Waythorn has just returned from his honeymoon with his new wife, Alice. This is his first marriage, but her third. Although it seems a bit scandalous, he has gone in to the marriage fully aware of, and fairly unconcerned with, how Alice is viewed in society: she is well liked, but with reservation.

She divorced her first husband, Mr. Haskett, with whom she has a daughter, before coming to New York on the arm of Gus Varick, whose social standing bought her acceptance, and who she then married and divorced in turn. Mr. Varick's well known taste for the high life and unsuitability to marriage allowed his wife to escape from this union with an air of virtue.

Waythorn is untroubled by his wife's past, until their return to New York finds him thrust uncomfortably into interaction with The Other Two.

Waythorn seems well aware of his own anxious nature, but he marries without concern about his wife's past marriages, even when friends advise him to be cautious. Why does he act so seemingly out of character?

Immediately upon return to work, Waythorn finds himself forced into a business relationship with Alice's first husband, Mr. Varick, and later that afternoon, the two happen to eat at the same restaurant. As Waythorn watches Varick eating lunch, he imagines him to be free of worry and care, and envies him. Is Varick so carefree, or is Waythorn just projecting these qualities on to him?

Alice's first husband, Mr. Haskett, becomes a frequent visitor to the Waythorn's home because of his daughter, Lily's illness. His presence makes Waythorn uncomfortable at first, and he is acutely aware of Haskett's lower social rank. What really disturbs him, however, is Haskett's inoffensiveness, when he had preferred to picture him as a brute. What is it that Haskett stirs up in Waythorn? Was Waythorn's acceptance of his wife's past dependent on the idea that her first two husbands were terrible men?

Although Waythorn finds it less and less difficult to interact with Alice's ex-husbands, it troubles him to see her converse with them. "Her pliancy was beginning to sicken him. Had she really no will of her own — no theory about her relation to these men?" What is it that Waythorn wants from Alice? Does he really think the situation is that easy for her? Can he ever be satisfied with Alice, or will he always feel that he is sharing her with her past?

We never really know what Alice is thinking through all of this, and her husband is pretty bad at communicating his insecurities to her. What do you think this story would be like if it were told from her perspective?

As a contemporary reader, how do you feel about Waythorn's attitude towards women? What message do you think Edith Wharton was trying to convey about his expectations of his wife?

Please leave comments and questions below to participate in the discussion! Next week, we will be discussing Autres Temps!

The Reader's Den: Edith Wharton's New York Stories

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:40:06 -0500

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013 in The Reader's Den!

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born in Greenwich Village into the wealthy New York Society that she would be famous for depicting in The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. Although she spent much of her life living in Newport, RI, Lenox, MA, and Europe, especially France, where she spent years in her later life, she is best known for her treatment of the stiff, conformist, aristocratic world of New York that she knew so well.

In addition to numerous novels and novellas, Wharton wrote poetry, books on travel, architecture and decor, including The Decoration of Houses, and dozens of short stories. She wrote prolifically despite the disapproval of her family, mental and physical health issues, divorce, and active participation in French relief efforts during World War I. Her short stories are housed in many collections, including The New York Stories of Edith Wharton.

Over the next three weeks, we will be discussing three of these short stories, all of which deal with their New York characters' attitudes towards, and sometimes obsession with, the past. Please leave any responses, thoughts, or questions in the comments section on each post to start the discussion!

January 7th-13th: "The Other Two" (1904): When Mr. Waythorn marries a woman already twice divorced, he doesn't worry about what people might say. Once married, however, he begins to be bothered by the same carefree manner that had attracted him to her. He begins to worry that she is " 'as easy as an old shoe' — a shoe that too many feet had worn."

January 14th-20th: "Autres Temps" (1916): After years of self-imposed exile, Mrs. Lidcote is returning to New York after learning of her daughter, Leila's divorce and remarriage. Horrified, because of her own divorce that cut her from New York's social circles, Mrs. Lidcote is repeatedly told that times have changed, but have they really?

January 21st-31st: "Roman Fever" (1934): Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley, of numbers 20 and 23 East 73rd Street, have been friends and rivals for years. When these two Upper East Side widows vacation together in Rome with their daughters, the mood goes from nostalgic to vindictive, and a shocking secret is revealed.

Thank you for participating in The Reader's Den!

My Library: Shauna

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 04:02:51 -0500

This week, we are wrapping up our second semester of French classes at Jefferson Market. After Saturday's class, we caught up with Shauna, one of the students.

What made you want to take a French class?

I've always loved languages and it's been a goal of mine to try to learn at least one or two languages fluently, in addition to English. Also: mon petit ami est français.

We are always glad to assist with romance! How did you end up taking the class here at the library?

I found out that the library was providing classes in several subjects. I hadn't realized the library offered these types of resources, and I jumped at the opportunity!

Have you taken language classes before?

Yes, I've taken Spanish and Italian, which are much easier than French! This class has inspired me to pick up those studies again once I've become comfortable speaking French.

We see you around the library a lot! What else do you do here?

In addition to taking French classes, I also run a romance book club. After a holiday break, we're starting 2013 by discussing Diana Gabaldon's Outlander on January 28th at 6:30 p.m. Anyone who is interested in joining us can pick up a copy at Jefferson Market or their local library.

I know you are a big reader — what are you reading now?

Right now I'm reading a mixed bag: Herman Melville's Moby Dick (which is awesome and not boring at all!), Beth Kery's Wicked Burn, and Raymond Arsenault's Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. I'm also trying to read one of my favorites — Le Petit Prince — en français.

Thanks Shauna!

My Library: Philosophy Class

Frank Collerius, Jefferson Market Library — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:01:19 -0500

The Jefferson Market Library continues to offer multi-session courses in subjects taught by college professors — just like you'd take in an adult continuing education program at a university. Recently we offered a free six-session Introduction to Western Philosophy course. Here's what two participants in that course, Carlos and Shaan, had to say:

Carlos

What did you think of the philosophy course?

It was great to get an overview, to look at all these different philosophers — it really appealed to me to get an idea of what is out there. Eric, the professor, really brought that home for us and covered it really well.

How did you hear about the course?

I was on the library website looking for different adult courses that I could take and this one jumped out at me.

Did you see other courses at other locations you found intriguing?

No, I didn't and I was surprised by that — I wanted to see more!

Well we are definitely trying to explore the kinds of courses the public wants to take!

Had you been to this library before?

I haven't been to this library before — I especially like this room. This entire building is just beautiful!

Shaan

How did you hear about this course?

I was hanging out in the library and I saw the flyer and thought this was amazing — I made sure I came early to sign up!

Yes! People have been very excited about the classes. So what was your experience with the philosophy course?

It was great, it's not easy to have so many different levels in one class and Eric accommodated us so well. I think just making sure everyone is relaxed is the most important step to try and discuss such difficult issues — like, its not easy to discuss Kant in 90 minutes! So it was really a very comfortable introduction — it couldn't have been any better really.

What other courses would you be interested in taking at the library?

I'm very into 20th century western philosophy so I would love a continuation of this class. Also it's great that the professor is from the New School. This class really gave us a great basis to start from. For instance, the Hegel book we read. I can't wait to read it even more closely.

Are you still in college?

I just graduated in May from Bard, upstate. I would love to move on to get a PhD.

Can I take your picture for the blog?

With my Halloween hair?!

Of course!

What free courses would YOU like to take?

Next course up: Russian Non-Conformist Art

Creative Aging Continues to Bloom at The New York Public Library

Brigid Cahalan, Library Sites & Services/Outreach — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 05:05:26 -0400

In recent decades, much has been said about the demographic changes that New York City shares with the rest of the world. Yes, we are getting older!

One widespread response has been a surge of programs to promote creativity in mid- and later life. NYPL has happily participated in these efforts, especially since 2010 when we started partnering with Lifetime Arts Inc. to offer our first Creative Aging courses, which took place in six branch libraries. Each course was taught by a professional teaching artist and lasted a minimum of eight 90-minute classes so that the two goals of the project — mastery of the basics of the art, and social engagement of the participants — would be met.

In 2012, Lifetime Arts once again secured private funding and offered NYPL, as well as our sister library system the Brooklyn Public Library, the opportunity to host additional courses as part of Creative Aging in our Communities: The NYC Libraries Project. This allowed us to provide 15 courses, each now consisting of a minimum of eight two-hour classes, and each with a culminating event celebrating the accomplishments of the student artists who took part. Courses included: a continuation of the popular Roaring Chorus at the Richmondtown Library; A Village Vision: Watercolor Painting from Experience at the Jefferson Market Library; Exploring Your Life: A Class in Memoir Writing at Morris Park Library; Memoir and Performance at the Kingsbridge Library; Memoirs, Penned and Spoken at the St. George Library Center; and Drawing from Life Experience at the Mulberry Street Library.

How do we select which branches offer Creative Aging courses? As Lifetime Arts secures a limited amount of private funding for these courses, those branch libraries which would like to host a creative aging course are given the opportunity to apply in conjunction with a professional teaching artist. Lifetime Arts then convenes a panel of experts which selects the courses to be funded.

The success of all of these classes, and the enthusiastic response of library staff witnessing them, has spurred us on to again join with Lifetime Arts — this time with several library systems throughout New York State — to participate in Creative Aging in New York State Libraries in 2012-2013. This will enable us to offer about 18 Creative Aging courses in 2013. Branches hosting the classes will be announced in January 2013.

How can you find out where and when upcoming courses will be offered? Do any — or preferably all — of the below:

subscribe to the NYPL’s Next Chapter blog channel
if you’re on Facebook, “like” the Next Chapter at the New York Public Library Facebook page
look at the Creative Aging in Our Communities series on the NYPL webpage
check out NYPL’s Creative Aging webpage
regularly peruse the rich Lifetime Arts website

One way or another, stay tuned!

Calling all Romance Readers!

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:14:05 -0400

Last month at Jefferson Market, our new romance book club had its first meeting. There were cupcakes, giveaways, a great discussion of Thea Harrison's Dragon Bound, and a lot of laughter.

On Monday September 17th, we will be holding our second discussion, this time on books one and two of Jennifer Ashley's Highland Pleasures Series: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie, and Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage. Because — let's be honest — one book is just not enough, especially when they involve the dark, dangerous, and notorious Lord Ian Mackenzie! He spent his youth in a mental asylum, and all of London society holds him responsible for the brutal murders of two women, but Beth Ackerly can't help but wonder if there isn't more to the troubled Scottish nobleman...

The group is just getting off the ground, and the more the merrier! Led by Shauna O'Garro, one of our loyal patrons, and a romance writer herself, under the pen name Alyssa Cole, it is for those who love discussing all things romance and those interested in learning more about the genre.

The group meets the third Monday of every month, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. on the third floor of Jefferson Market. On Monday October 15th, we will be discussing two paranormal romances: Larissa Ione's Eternal Rider and Kelly Creagh's young adult novel Nevermore.

May in the Reader's Den: "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" Week Four

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:12:54 -0400

Welcome back to the Reader's Den — this is our final week discussing David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Last week we covered part two of the novel, which focused on the midwife, Orito's abduction to the Mount Shiranui Shrine. This week we will finish up with the last three sections of the book, which include chapters twenty-seven through forty-one, in which Mitchell once again presents new narrators. The first is the slave called Weh, who narrates a short chapter exposing many of the hardships of his daily life. It is from his perspective that we learn Jacob has been working to translate the Japanese scroll containing the edicts of the shrine.

The other new voices in these last chapters are John Penhaligon, captain of a British warship that arrives in the Bay of Nagasaki intent on taking over the trading post for the English, and Magistrate Shiroyama, who finds his fate tied to the outcome of this conflict. Dejima residents Chief Van Cleef and first deputy Peter Fischer row out to the warship and are promptly taken hostage by the British crew. Fischer turns out to be amenable to working for the British and goes back to shore to persuade the Dutch and Japanese to allow Penhaligon to take over, with promises of wages and free transport. To his surprise he finds vehement opposition, led by Jacob de Zoet.

Captain Penhaligon is one of the most complex characters in the book. He comes to Japan worried about his worsening gout, and unable to forget the memories of his dead wife and son. Did you feel sympathetic towards him, or dislike him for his attack on Dejima, or both?
Why did Mitchell include the short chapter about Weh, when we never hear from again?
Why do Jacob and Dr. Marinus stay on the watchtower during the British attack, when they seem to face certain death?
After a meeting to discuss the demands of the British, Jacob gives Magistrate Shiroyama the Mount Shiranui Shrine, exposing the creeds of Enomoto's order. Shamed by his failing in military response to the attack, Shiroyama must commit an honorable suicide, but devises to take Enomoto with him. Were you surprised by this twist? Did you think that Enomoto could die?
Years later, at Dr. Marinus's funeral, Jacob finally sees Orito again. Did you hope that they might rekindle a romance, or are circumstances just too impossible?
Eighteen years after arriving at Dejima, Jacob must leave and return to Zeeland without his son, who he fathered with a Japanese woman. Being half Japanese, his son is unable to leave Japan. How did you like the montage of Jacob's life back in Zeeland? At the moment of his death, he has a vision of Orito, who is still in his thoughts all these years later. Why is she the last person he thinks of?
Now that you've finished the book, what did you think of it as a whole? Did all the different elements and storylines come together successfully?

Thank you for participating in the Reader's Den! Please leave your comments below. Come back in June, for a discussion of 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

May in the Reader's Den: "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" week three

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:29:48 -0400

Welcome to week three of May in the Reader's Den! This week, we continue our discussion of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, focusing on Part II — chapters fourteen through twenty-six.

The second section of The Thousand Autumns is a complete departure from the first. Gone is the narrative voice of Jacob de Zoet, and the chronicling of life on Dejima. In part two, Mitchell shifts from Jacob's point of view to the perspectives of three other characters: Otane the herbalist, midwife Orito Aibigawa, and interpreter Ogawa Uzaemon.

It is in chapter fourteen, told from Otane's perspective, that we learn what has happened to Orito; She has become a sister at the Mount Shiranui Shrine, a secretive order about which there are many strange rumors. When we hear from Orito, we learn that she was abducted and forced to join the shrine against her will after the death of her father. Her step-mother sold her to Lord Abbot Enomoto to cover the deaths of her late husband.

The disturbing edicts of the shrine begin to unfold: sisters are impregnated by the order's monks in "engifting" rituals, and the children are taken from the new mothers, who are told that they are starting lives with adopted families in the world below. Through a scroll containing the shrine's creeds that was smuggled out by an escaped acolyte, the interpreter Uzaemon learns that there are much more disturbing realities to the rituals than the sisters know. He begins to put into motion a plan to free Orito from the imprisonment of her service, even though he knows it will likely mean his life.

Why does Enomoto choose to take Orito to his shrine, when the rest of the sisters were taken from brothels and the street?
We learn in this section of the book that Uzaemon loves Orito, and had asked permission to marry her, which his father denied. What is it about her that both Jacob and Uzaemon are drawn to? Is she destined to be loved but alone?
Did you think that Uzaemon's plan to rescue Orito would be successful?
Just before Enomoto kills Uzaemon, he tells him that he is over six hundred years old, and that the consumption of the shrine's "gifts" is what has made him immortal. Were you surprised by this supernatural element of the book?
What was your reaction to discovering that the yearly letters received by the sisters from their "gifts" were all fabricated?
Why does Orito choose to return to the shrine when she is so close to freedom?

Please leave your comments below! Next week, we will cover the final sections of the book, chapters twenty-seven through forty-one, in which war comes to Dejima and Jacob uncovers the ugly truths of the Mount Shiranui Shrine!

May in the Reader's Den: "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet" week two

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:24:43 -0400

Welcome back to the Reader's Den! This week, we will be talking about part one - the first thirteen chapters - of David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. With the exception of the opening chapter, the entirety of part one is told from the perspective of Jacob de Zoet during the first months of his residence on the island of Dejima, off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan.

With names like Artie Grote, Ponke Ouwehand, and Piet Baert, Jacob's Dutch colleagues can be as difficult to keep straight as the characters in a Russian novel. Assigned by his boss, Chief Resident Vorstenbosch to conduct an audit of past years' financial discrepancies, Jacob makes fast enemies of many of his co-workers. It is in this lonely environment, with these hostile companions, that Jacob begins to become fixated on Orito Aibigawa, the Japanese midwife with a burn covering one side of her face.

He begins a sort of courtship, using Dr. Marinus and the interpreter Ogawa Uzaemon, with whom he has developed a friendship, as middlemen. Things actually seem somewhat promising, until his efforts are stopped short by an unexpected series of events that take Orito away from Dejima and from Jacob.

Why does Mitchell open the book with a birth scene? Why is this scene important? How does it tie in to the rest of the book?
As de Zoet enters Dejima, his belongings are searched for any forbidden items - namely Christian artifacts or texts. He is smuggling in a psalter too precious to him to give up, although he is terrified of being discovered. The interpreter who inspects his trunks, Ogawa Uzaemon, allows the book into the country, and later warns Jacob to keep it very well hidden. Why does Ogawa help this strange Dutchman at his own risk?
In chapter seven, Jacob sells mercury to Lord Abbot Enomoto. Why does Enomoto say that he feels an affinity with Jacob? What is it about this man that seems powerful and intimidating?
Jacob and Orito are characters whose freedoms are restricted and who don't fit in. Jacob is trapped on Dejima for five years among Japanese interpreters and unpleasant Dutchmen. Orito is limited by the societal restrictions placed on her gender and by the burn on her face. Is this what draws them together? Or is it something more?
Does Jacob really want to return to Zeeland, and to Anna? Is his infatuation with Orito, in part, a device to free him of his attachments to home?
Why does Jacob delay in going to Orito when he sees her franticly trying to enter Dejima on the day she disappears? What forces cause him to wait until it is too late?

Please leave your comments below! Next week, we will be discussing part two of the book, through the end of chapter twenty-six, which chronicles the events that follow Orito's abduction from Dejima.